Nature News & Comment

Probably the best known scientific journal is Nature, however probably only few have ever really read an article in the Journal. Of course this is since the primary audience are research scientists, and not for a broad general audience. But Nature is trying to do its best to also many of the most important papers understandable for scientists in other fields and the educated general public. This is why nature has a great section on their website called Nature News & Comment, on this page the most interesting research developments are described in a readable manner. I have been following this page now for a few weeks and it often happens when I read an article, a few days later it is adopted in general news websites. This page really is a must know for science interested people!

Outer Space - 15 things you didn't know

Outer space has always caught the imagination of people. The fascination is rooted in the inherent curiosity people have for the unknown. But, the truth is, we have learned a great deal about outer space. While that great deal of knowledge may only be a speck in the cosmic sense because there’s so much more to know, some of what we are cognizant of is illustrated below to give you a primer as to what’s really out there. 

Via: OnlineSchools.org

BBC's Horizon - Rubber Hand Illusion

A great video about how your brain "adopts" a fake hand for being your own:

This is video is part from the BBC program called Horizon, it is a program that explores the strange and wonderful world of illusions and reveals the tricks they play on our senses and the way they fool us. More on BBC's Horizon page

Just 11 ordinary gifts...

A great post on DVICE which talks about eleven gifts made possible by science that certainly will impress your geek friend if you would give him such a gift. But even you would be impressed if you would recieve such a gift even if you are not a science geek! Some examples are shown below go for the full article to:  DVICE 

Galium:

Gallium is a silvery metal with atomic number 31. It's used in semiconductors and LEDs, but the cool thing about it is its melting point, which is only about 30 degrees Celsius. If you hold a solid gallium crystal in your hand, your body heat will cause it to slowly melt into a silvery metallic puddle. Pour it into a dish, and it freezes back into a solid.

While you probably shouldn't lick your fingers after playing with it, gallium isn't toxic and won't make you crazy like mercury does. And if you get tired of it, you can melt it onto glass and make yourself a mirror.

Price: $80

EcoSphere:

Inside these sealed glass balls live shrimp, algae, and bacteria, all swimming around in filtered seawater. Put it somewhere with some light, and this little ecosystem will chug along happily for years, no feeding or cleaning necessary, totally oblivious to the fact that the rest of the world exists outside.

EcoSpheres came out of research looking at ways to develop self-contained ecosystems for long duration space travel. They're like little microcosms for the entire world, man. But ask yourself: are we the shrimp, or the algae?

Price: $80